Your RayPak heater is a long-term investment for your pool that will last years. Yet, there are parts within the heater or heat pump that will deteriorate over time. You will need to replace these parts and the most common parts that need replacing are:

Zinc Anode

The zinc anode for your heater acts as a sacrificial metal that prevents galvanic corrosion of other parts of your heater, as well as other metal parts of your pool like lights and railings. As the anode does its job, it will eventually corrode, at which time you will need to replace it. Zinc anodes typically last 4-5 years. You will want to replace it when it corrodes about half-way.

Temperature Sensor

When Raypak pool heater sensor failure occurs, you will get a reading such as, “Sensor Failure’, “Sensor Open” or “Sensor Shorted”. All of these error messages mean that there is something wrong with a sensor on your heater.

There are two temperature sensors in a RayPak heater and a temperature sensor failure can be a result of damaged wires, unsuitable water temperature, incorrect sensor positioning, different readings on the two temperature sensors, a bad temperature sensor, or a faulty control board.

You will have to check each of these areas or hire a reputable pool technician to help you. But, it is important to know that you may not need to replace your entire heater or heat pump and can just address this one part.

Unitherm Governor

The unitherm governor in your heater is essentially a thermostat, similar to the one in your car. It is located in the water manifold and allows some water to pass by the heat exchanger. It is spring loaded to contract based on water temperature.

There are many reasons why your unitherm governor could fail such as slow water flow, a broken spring or a blocked heat exchanger. When you look over your unit and address the issue, you can find the parts for this replacement here.